From the rise of Islamic insurgency groups and the promise of democracy, to the myths and realities of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East and Asia, author and scholar Hassan Abbas gives an insider view as a former senior security officer in the Pakistan government.  He is a frequent media commentator on terrorism and radical Islam in Pakistan, Afghanistan and other nations in south and central Asia.

From Islamic fundamentalists to white liberals to good old-fashioned racists, no one is safe from stand-up comic Tissa Hami’s sharp wit.  One of the world’s few female Muslim stand-up comics, she hopes that her comedy will help break down stereotypes about Muslim women and foster understanding between Iranians and Americans, though she warns that people who disapprove of her act will be taken hostage.

http://www.tissahami.com
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Fierce, fresh and smart, author and journalist Daisy Hernandez focuses on race, gender, sexuality, and other issues affecting young women of color. She is Senior Writer and Managing Editor for ColorLines magazine, and coeditor of the book Colonize This! Young Women of Today’s Feminism. Her editorials and columns have appeared in the New York Times, Ms. Magazine, and many other publications.

Powerful and touching! A voice for countless Afghan families, Farooka shares her experiences of escape and loss and helps us to understand life under totalitarian rule. Her critically acclaimed book, Searching for Saleem: An Afghan Woman's Odyssey, was applauded as the first English language memoir by an Afghan woman.

Author, radio essayist and performer, her work generates a fresh dialogue on race and diversity.  Her satirical book How to Rent a Negro has been acclaimed as “one of the most trenchant and amusing commentaries on contemporary race relations.”  Ayo brings stories, humor, and a unique insight to help audiences find their own solutions to pressing challenges of diversity in their communities.

http://www.damaliayo.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damali_ayo
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Are you ready to fix racism? (PDF)

In 1859, abolitionist orator Frederick Douglass was being sought by the state of Virginia with an arrest warrant for his alleged activity in the armed assault on the Federal Arsenal at Harpers Ferry.  This historical moment beset with national and personal drama is the setting for “Frederick Douglass, 1859”. Guy Peartree renders Frederick Douglass with sensitivity to the historic and folkloric features of this period.

patrice gaines

An award winning journalist and former Washington Post reporter, Patrice Gaines works to empower girls and young women at risk, drawing from the heart of her experiences on the streets and in prison. She is the co-founder of Brown Angel Center, seeking to provide formerly incarcerated women and their families with the tools to renew their lives. Gaines is author of Laughing in the Dark and Moments of Grace: Meeting the Challenge to Change.

SOJOURNER TRUTH: “A WOMAN, AIN’T I?”